In & Around
by Lothlorien.Lullaby
Summary: Moments surrounding the life of a youthful high school student. [For the best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it- Richard Bach]
1. First Day's the Breakaway

**_Author's Note:_**

I've been really reluctant to upload this story for some reason. I started writing it to get out of the funky writers block I was having for other stories and it was meant to just be for fun. It's been in my archives for a few months and I wasn't initially going to upload it but I thought, what the hell, It's fan fiction, what else am I going to do with it.

It was suppose to be one of those short formed prompt stories, the one's where the chapters could be 150 words and can be random. Thats what I wanted, but the chapters got longer and interconnected. Soooooo..it's this thing now. It's going to have random uploads. I have a few more chapters I have to dust off, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it so far.

P.s- It's a school themed, prompt story…yah!

P.s.s- I also didn't have a name for it until just now, so no judgement or at least not a lot of it.

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 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._**

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This was it. The first day of entering into one of the most prestigious high schools in Japan, the HL Academy. She felt her nerves prickle at the thought. She could do this, she believed in herself…sort of. Ino Yamanaka checked herself in the mirror one last time, fixing her uniform into place and huffing out in satisfaction before heading down towards the kitchen. Rambling about to herself, she picked at the fruit on the counter, inspecting them all before throwing an apple into her bag.

She whimpered nervously as she thought about the events that would transpire later in the day. With the opening ceremony, meeting her new teachers, and being surrounded by a variety of class act students, she felt her stomach lurch. She was extremely thankful to have her friends by her side, even though some had opted out to attend different high school's, she wouldn't be alone. It felt nerve wrecking to think about. She wondered how the other's were doing, if they were as anxious as she was.

"Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out." She murmured to herself, moving about restlessly in the corridor. Her actions piquing the interest of her father.

"You act as if you're heading off to war." He commented as he glanced at her from behind his bowl of rice, his eyes glistening with amusement.

"School is a battlefield," She nervously replied. "It might as well be war."

He scoffed at her declaration. "You know, when I first enter—"

"I don't have time to hear about your childhood memories back in the Edo period," She said, cutting him off. "I have twenty minutes before I have to meet up with Sakura at the station."

Inoichi's eyes narrowed at the comment. "Oh, you got jokes," His arms flailed dramatically for affect. "Oh, she got jokes everybody. Think you funny."

"I'm nervous as it is, and you're not helping papa. You're making it worse." She whimpered as she continue to pace around the small area, clenching the bottom of her skirt.

"How, by talking? You know what would make you feel better, is if I walk with you to school... in my robe…that I might accidentally leave open and unattended," He teased. "It's just high school, get a grip sweet pea."

She stopped briefly to glare at her father from the archway, causing him to laugh as a resort. "You wouldn't, and it isn't just high school. It's one of the most distinguished private school in the country and it's the start of me becoming an adult."

"An adult that still lives under my roof where I pay for everything so she can flirt with boys and gossip when she should be learning," He teased once again, flipping his hair back to mock her further. "And wouldn't I."

"I'm sorry, did you take that as a challenge because I didn't mean it as one. I mean't you wouldn't dare!" She threatened, heading off into the kitchen to sprits her face with water to calm the heat rushing to her face.

She turned on the sink, letting her fingers dangle under the running water, it's cooling properties nourishing her heated body. Spraying the dabs of excess water on her face she sighed, grabbing a nearby towel to wipe away the liquid.

"Ya know, I'm a good looking man," He declared, his posture poised, the smile on his face wide with self assurance. "I've got a lot to offer with this body."

"Oh my god, Dad. Stop."

"A lot." He whispered suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows in the process.

She groaned at the comment, burying her face between her hands, her silence egging on his torturous declaration of self beauty. She felt like screaming and laughing all at the same time, a combination of being disgusted and amused simultaneously. Her father really was something.

"Ladies would pounce on me if they had the chance. Why else do you think I keep myself locked up in this house most of my nights?"

"For fear of rejection and the shame it would bring upon our house when the world finds out how undesirable of a man you truly are?"

His silence lingered on longer than she felt comfortable with, his eyes sending daggers towards the back of her head. "Get out. You're gonna be late, you ungrateful little brat."

"What," Ino swiftly turned confused to the clock on the wall, dropping the kitchen towel on the floor and scrabbling to pick up her bag as she sprinted for the door. "How the hell did that happen?" She groaned, struggling to get on her shoes, almost tripping in the process before shouting out her goodbye's to her beloved father.

"By the way baby girl, whatever you got to work with is because of me." He shouted out towards her as she ran down the street.

"You're so gross when you're single." She shrieked, shaking her head in disgust.

"I'm sexy when I'm single." He confirmed back at her, turning to wink at the young female neighbours giggling by.


	2. Boys, Bodies, & Beyond

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...

Ino sprinted swiftly as she sneaked up behind Sakura, jumping onto her back, giggling childishly. Sakura yelped at the sudden contact, flailing forwards as she tried to keep her balance upright. Her surprise diminished at the sound of her best friend's laughter. Sakura sighed at her antics, but smiled non the less. She was glad to see a chirpier Ino, she knew how frantic the blonde could get when she felt overwhelmed.

"Good morning to you too," Sakura giggled. "I'm so glad to be graced with your presence on this special occasion."

Ino nodded her head in agreement. "Daddy says I couldn't hide in the closet forever, said I'd die from boredom before hunger hit."

"Wise words from a w—"

"Weird man, yeah." Ino finished for her, grabbing onto Sakura's arm, intertwining their fingers as she pouted at the students hugging and giggling with one another as they headed towards school. They were to happy for Ino's liking. This was school, not some playground. Their happiness was misplaced.

"Ino, you're conducting improper physical contact during school hours." Sakura stated plainly, her eyes never looking away from the building up ahead.

Ino gaped at her long time friend. Her pout quivering and her eyes pleading, Ino stopped walking, slowly releasing her hold on Sakura's hand. The action caught the pinkette's attention as she turned halfway towards the blonde, her interest piqued.

"Are you serious? That was not improper…this, is improper." Ino motioned deviously as she tried to jiggle Sakura's breast's, only to jump back before Sakura's fist connected to her temple.

"Hey now, I didn't even get close to get a grip there itty bitty."

"Ino!" Sakura yelled flabbergasted.

"I'm joking. I'm joking." Ino bowed for forgiveness, her playful grin never leaving her lips.

"I swear Ino, you can be so…inappropriate." Sakura commented as she crossed her arms in a disapproving manner.

Ino sighed at her friend's reaction. Sakura had turned into such a fuddy duddy during their last year of middle school. Ino couldn't pinpoint when it was that made her so…crabby about physical interactions. She assumed it was catching that boy she liked shoving his tongue down some girl's throat or when what's her name stole her crush from her with all that bosom button popping tricks she liked to pull. Either way, Sakura had turned into a monster, one that hated seeing public affection.

"Please, don't tell me you're going to join the moral committee, or is it called the chastity belt club?" Ino pondered, tapping her lips in thought.

Glaring at Ino, Sakura sighed. "Well, I was either thinking of joining the the student body council or the act against sexual contact club."

"I'm sorry, there's an actual club that's called that?!" Ino freaked.

Sakura laughed at the expression on Ino's face. "God, I don't know. Possibly. Who know's what type of clubs they have at this school."

"But you're not seriously going to join them though, right?" Ino pleaded.

"Well, I have been thinking a lot about joining the student council, but I have been inkling to join the public morals committee and smack the shit out of anyone making out in my halls." Sakura declared excitedly, pumping her fist's in the air.

"Wow. We haven't even entered the school yet and you've already claimed it as yours. Those poor unexpected souls, what misfortune will come their way when your wrath awakens."

Sakura smiled brightly as she cracked her knuckles in agreement, earning a sheepish laugh from her blonde companion. "God, you're scary. But not scary enough for me not to fondle those boobies."

"Ino, I swear to god." Sakura yelled, as she tried to pry the blonde off her back, shaking them around violently, completely unaware and unfazed by all the eyes glancing their way in surprise.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A voice commented a few feet away from the bubblegum drop trying to wrestle off the laughing buxom blonde.

"Shisui. Stop. Just keep walking." His companion demanded.

"How am I supposed to keep walking when all I want to do is keep watching, look at all that body. Should I whistle them a hello?"

"Don't. I don't need them seeing me."

"Oooh, Sasuke Uchiha fangirls. How fun."

"Annoying is more appropriate." Sasuke sighed, glaring at his brother's best friend.

"But wait, I know all the girls in your little fan club, who the hell are those two?"

"By the looks of it, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka."

"Forehead and Piglet?!" Shisui shouted perplexed.

"Keep it down before they hear you." Sasuke hushed angrily, turning to the silent third party member for help who only smirked in return, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

"Hot damn. They use to be so…little. Ain't so little no more." Shisui smirked, licking his lips as he openly ogled at the girls in front of him.

"You're disgusting." Sasuke groaned.

"Why, cause I got a set of balls you'll never have. Huh, you want these nuts little squirrel." Shisui said, wrapping his arm around the younger Uchiha.

"Get the fuck away from me." Sasuke threatened, causing the two older boys to laugh at his distress.

"Your mouth says no, but your eyes…your eyes hint to the waits of hibernation," He continued teasingly. "Where you'll store my nuts in your burrow."

Sasuke's face paled as his two companions continued to laugh at the boys expense, groaning in the process. He tired greatly of Shisui's constant teasing's and vulgar innuendo's. The man was infuriatingly annoying.

"But seriously, when did all that happen?" He motioned back towards the young girls, still laughing away.

"Sakura must have dyed her hair during the break." Sasuke replied boringly, no longer caring about the situation at hand.

"Dyed her ha—, boy, I'm talking about those bodies," Shisui gestured, pelvic thrusting his away closer. "I'm talking bout those breast's going up a cup size, and those smack able ass's shaking my way. That soft delicate flesh that is begging to—"

"Shut it. I don't want to hear about the things you want to do to my former classmates, you disgusting fuck. I'm going up ahead, I can't stand to hear this guys voice so early in the morning." Sasuke groaned, sprinting up ahead to catch up with his own group of friends hunching together, reminiscing.

"Love you too, pumpkin," Shisui teased as he waved him goodbye, earning a glare from the youngest Uchiha. "He's such a delight."

The last two standing walked in silence the rest of the way, Shisui checking out all the pliable girls passing by, whistling towards a few, earning him a couple of delicate flushed faces. "We've got a delicious set of new dishes, my friend. Don't you agree, Tach?" Shisui commented as he elbowed his friend playfully.

Itachi Uchiha chuckled in agreement, his eyes lingering on the playful blond's swaying hips. His smirk prominent and eyes dangerously wicked.


	3. Homeroom High Jinks

**Authors Note:** Man, uploading these chapters make me nervous as hell, but I hope you enjoy them. This is actually one of my favourites so far.

Thank you so much self-piercing. It means a lot. I really didn't know I needed that until you gave it to me, so thank you.

Yami no Akuma Okami, I hope you like where this is going then.

Thank you guest! That's very kind of you to say.

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Ino yawned into her palm, glancing boringly at the room of people, old and new, talking to one other. A couple of weeks had passed since they entered this new adventure of an incredible hell hole. The room murmured lightly with noise, a few girls in the front giggling and spying glances at the group of boys in the middle, who were to busy arguing amongst themselves to notice. Typical Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Inuzuka.

She glanced backwards towards Nara, Aburame, and Akamichi, all three silently grouped together, their eyes closed, waiting for the home room teacher to present himself. She snorted at the sight.

Their homeroom teacher, Kakashi Hatake, a man of few words and even fewer expressions, always found his way to class past his expected arrival date. Probably, hauled up in some corner reading another pornographic novel or just sleeping on the job. He had some pretty bad habits, but she liked him. He was interesting. Even though he spends most of his time trying to break up the inseparable dynamic duo, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, from killing each other. Or as he likes to state it, from releasing their pent up desires for one another. That usually got all the students laughing and halting any further actions from the boys.

Ino turned to her right to poke Sakura lightly on the cheek. "Hey, Sakura. Hey."

Sakura turned her head to the side annoyingly. "What?!"

"I'm bored." whined Ino, pouting in the process.

"Whats that got to do with me?" asked Sakura, an eyebrow flexing upwards.

"Entertain me." pleaded Ino with puppy dog eyes, her pout quivering cutely.

"Entertain yourself," replied Sakura. "You have a window seat, just look at all the ants out in the field or better yet, pick up a textbook."

"I said entertain me not knock me out of my misery, Sakura." Ino groaned, her boredom eating away at her sanity.

Sakura huffed. "You do have a grade point average to keep up. We are part of the highest ranking students in the class so far."

"Boo boo, kachew." Ino responded childishly, further annoyed about all the test taking they had to do the first week they were here. The teacher's explaining it was to see how much the student's knew before hand but Ino suggested it was about finding out who to watch out for academically. All they did however was spark competition between the students.

Sakura sighed, shaking her head at her childhood friend, resuming her sights back on the book she was reading. Ino moaned out in displeasure, glancing back outside to watch a group of students participating in club activities and different types of sports. She continued to stare until her gaze caught glimpse of a group of senior students walking near by, her eyes lingering on the upperclassmen. They looked so…mature, and tall. They scrutinised the youth's with glares and sadistic grins, sending the young student's into a frenzy of fear.

"Scary." She whispered out loud, resting her head on her palm as she leaned out further to see.

"What is?" Sakura asked, tearing herself away from the pages of her book to what piqued the blonde's interest's.

"Those upperclassmen over there," Ino answered, still looking out the window. "Their presence alone is scaring the other students."

"Oh," Sakura questioned, resting her book down to hop onto Ino's desk, glancing out the window with her. "They're a little hard to see from up here."

"Well yeah, that's kind of a good thing," Ino responded. "Or else we'd look like a couple of peeping toms."

"You do know that's defined as sexual pleasure by spying on others, right?"

Ino's eyes widened a bit, her lips forming a tight line at the pinkette's words, trying her hardest to be coy.

Sakura laughed. "Well, I think it'd be best we call ourselves curious instead."

Ino stuck her tongue out childishly at her pink haired friend. "Bleh."

They continued to look out towards the grounds casually, watching some of the seniors play around with the underclassmen, teasing them relentlessly. Ino giggled at the scene. Even though they were being harassed, the smiles on all their faces were endearing. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Not so scary anymore, she guessed.

She kept on smiling until she caught glimpse of dark hair passing by the group of bodies, a smirk plastered on his face as he playfully pushed through. They were so far away, it was hard to see his face properly, but his hair had caught her attention. She hadn't met many men who had the balls to grow out their hair that long since her father and the Hyuga boy. Even the Nara's kept it at a certain length.

His hair was beautiful, swishing back and forth with the wind as he moved around. "Pretty." She whispered to herself.

She continued to gape at the group of students laughing about with each other, clearly having a good time, until the one with the gorgeous hair looked up in their direction. Ino paled as her instant reaction was to flip Sakura off the table and duck under her desk, cursing in the process at almost being caught. Sakura landed harshly on the floor, completely surprised at her friends action.

"What the shit, Ino!" Sakura groaned. The class began to whisper with one another, their eyes set on the girls crouching on the floor.

"What's this?" A rough voice asked, underlined with amusement.

Ino looked up to see their homeroom teacher, Kakashi Hatake staring at her with mirth hidden within his eyes. The lower half of his face hidden behind a bandana, hiding the tug of his lips at the sight in front of him. "What's the matter, Miss Yamanaka," He asked. "Got caught staring at things you shouldn't be?"

"No." She answered quickly, earning a quick chuckle from the man. She pouted, as she glanced towards her friend, who glared at her. Her pout turned into a sheepish apologetic smile, but Sakura just moved towards her own desk, flopping onto her chair as she crossed her arms in annoyance. She growled at the remaining classmates that kept on looking. They returned their attention back to the front, as Kakashi prepared his usual speech about why he was late.

"Alright, you," pointing at a random student, Kakashi yawned out "Take roll call."

As the student nervously began calling out names, Ino crept up slowly from her place on the floor to sit back into her chair. After fixing her uniform and stretching out her arms, she sneaked a glance back out the window to find herself locking eyes with the ponytailed upperclassmen, his friends smiling and laughing around him. His eyes were teasing, and the twitch of his lips forming into a smirk had her face turning scarlet. They were all staring up in her direction. She quickly burrowed her face into her arms, spreading them across the table, hiding herself from view, the heat rushing to her entire body in embarrassment.

"Ino Yamanaka?" Kakashi teased, as they were finishing up roll call, clearly poking fun at the girl.

"Here~" She cried in response, refusing to look up from her arms, earning another chuckle from her teacher and classmates.


	4. Cleaning Duties

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! Why do I have to do this?" yelled an annoyed Ino, swaying her arms around.

"Because we were assigned to. The other two already bailed on us so for the last time, shut up and sweep."

"But Saaaaakura, I don't wanna," Ino pouted. "I'm tired and bored…and tired."

Sakura sighed, feeling exasperated listening to the whining blonde across from her. "The faster we get this done, the sooner we can go ho—, Ino, are you even listening to me?"

Ino groaned as she sprawled over one of the desk's, ignoring the pinkette's protests. She was exhausted and her body ached. She'd spend most of the night studying for an upcoming test. She was trying her best to keep up her grades as to not flail behind the others, being one of the top female students in her class, surpassing even the Hyuga heiress. She was on par with Sakura, both just below the agonising Sasuke Uchiha, who, was below one, Shikamaru Nara.

"I've been studying for days." she continued to whine, her companion glaring at her childish antics.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is when I don't have the energy or the time to do anything else," Ino retorted hotly. "We should go shopping this weekend, or maybe go karaoke…ing?"

Sakura laughed. "How about we worry about passing this test on Friday first."

"How about you worry about me instead of pretending you're not going to pass your academic classes," mocked Ino. "Do you even know the meaning of failure?"

"Hey, it's not like I'm great in every subject." Sakura retorted, a hand on her hip as she held the broom with the other.

"That's true, I've seen you in physics." Ino agreed, laughing at her friends huffed reaction.

"What are you two doing?" A voice boomed from the doorway.

Ino scrunched up her face, rolling her eyes at the voice as Sakura squeaked at the sudden intrusion. "What's it look like, Uchiha?" Ino questioned, annoyed by the boys sudden appearance.

"Nothing," He answered. "It looks like you're doing nothing but wasting time."

"Waste my time knocking you upside the head." Ino mumbled.

"What was that?"

"What was what," She mocked, stretching out her muscles before continuing her poor excuse at sweeping. "What do you want?"

He narrowed his eyes at the blonde, veins popping in annoyance at her attitude. They'd always had this weird…relationship. They grew up relatively close by one another, but hardly ever saw each other, even though his mother visited her families' flower shop frequently. He remembered when they were little, she use to fawn over him like a love sick puppy, always getting in his way and on his nerves.

Then when they entered middle school, she acted as if she could care less about the young prodigy. They'd often get into tiffs and arguments, some borderline friendly, other's dangerously close to ending in a fist fight. Their interactions were weird but endearing to some, as if they'd known each other their entire life's.

"I'm just here to make sure everything's in order and that you're not messing around."

"Sorry Sasuke, we've got it covered," Sakura spoke. "I'll make sure everything gets done."

He hm'd his satisfaction, looking them over one last time before heading out.

"Don't you apologize for me, I ain't sorry. We didn't do anything wrong."

"Ino." Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples lightly.

"I protest to the both of you getting so…close," Ino proclaimed. "Aren't you supposed to be against men anyways?"

"I'm partnered up with him and Uzamaki for half the semester," Sakura claimed. "I kind of don't have a choice."

Ino eyed her friend suspiciously, clear doubt showing on her face as she listened to the pinkette speak. "I'm watching you Sakura Haruno."

"Why are you so against him anyways?"

"Because he's an asshole," Ino answered. "Always been, always will be."

Sakura stopped to look at the blonde peeking out the window, her expression serious. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if something had happened between the two. "Were the both of you….I don't know, did he hurt you or something?"

Ino turned abruptly to her friend, her eyes wide with shock as her mouth twisted with disgust. "Ugh, ew, gross, no," Ino replied. "It wasn't like that, his attitude is just so annoying, thinks he's better than everybody."

Sakura laughed lightly at the declaration. "Let's just finish up, ok? It's getting late and my parents are going to freak if I come home any later."

Ino sighed in agreement. She was about to turn away from the window when she caught sight of Sasuke running up to a familiar figure. She squinted, walking up to the window to get a closer look, recognition settled in when she noticed the long silky black locks. She watched as Sasuke sprinted to catch up to him, annoyance sketched all over his face as the upperclassmen simply laughed in response. She kept on watching as they left through the school gates, her curiosity bubbling over. Did Sasuke know that guy? Were they friends? Did Sasuke have friends? Did Sasuke talk to people other than himself?

She was intrigued. She shrugged the thoughts away for the time being as she helped Sakura with the finishing touches, feeling proud to get everything done and over with, even though she contributed little to no help. A grievance she was reminded of as she walked with Sakura towards the station.


	5. PE

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...

Harsh sun light beamed down on her pale skin, eliciting a few suggestive words from the pretty blonde who was trying her best to shield herself from any more incoming rays. She slumped her way across the field, physical education being one of her least favourite subjects of late. Her clothes clinging to her body, drenched and reeking of sweat. She could feel the bile threatening to rise past her lips.

"Guy sensei, can't we take a moment to breathe," Ino mustered out in heavy breaths. "My lungs are suffocating."

"That's just your body's way of telling you you're doing great, miss Yamanaka." He playfulling replied.

"I'm pretty sure they're trying to escape my rip cage through my throat." She coughed back.

His eyes widened at her remark. "You sound just like my track team," He beamed. "Alright take five everybody, when we get back I want everyone to peer up for some youthful stretching exercises before we finish today's lesson."

Ino whined openly, mouth agape as she plummeted down onto the ground in complete defeat. "Why? Why did Kurenai sensei have to take time off at the beginning of our semester?"

"To have a baby Ino. What did you want the poor women to do?" A brunette spoke, plopping on the ground besides her.

"I don't know, hold it in until we graduate," Ino shrugged. "Guy sensei can be such a—."

"Handful?" The brunette finished.

"Yeh, that," spat the blonde. "How do you stand him Tenten? He must drive you crazy!"

The brunette shrugged. "He's not that bad once you get to know him, you'll be use to it in no time."

"God, I hope not." She groaned, even louder when said teacher came back into view, clapping his hands together to get everyones attention. "Alright partner up."

"That was barely a minute!"

Tenten smiled apologetically as she dusted herself off to help demonstrate the less intense versions of his moves. Ino reluctantly got up from the grass, patting away any excess dirt on her shorts before turning head first into Sakura. Her damp hair whipping them both.

"Ah, damn it. Sakura, what the hell?" She said, dropping her face into the palms of her hands, shrieking quietly into them.

"Oh, don't you go blaming me for whipping us both in the face. That actually snapped me in the eye." She blinked, rubbing her eye gently.

"Are you girls ok? Why don't you find a comfortable spot to watch the demonstrations." Guy sensei beamed brightly.

They both murmured incoherently, each aggravated by the accident. They walked over to their group of girlfriends as Guy sensei began his lecture on proper stretching and form, using Tenten as his model. Leaning against each other, they slid down onto the grass, letting Guy sensei's words drown out. "And what you'll want to feel is a light pull in your calves—"

They listened as he rambled on about the importance of stretching and proper form, detailing the horrors of pulled muscles and future soreness. Ino rolled her eyes back. Trying to wake herself up, she smacked her cheeks, swaying her head from side to side. She stopped to look over at her pink haired companion, who's eye's seemed to be glued on the pack of boys across the field from them. Ino glared at both her friend and the boys for several seconds before sighing heavily.

"Could you stop?" Her aggravation building slowly in the pit of her stomach. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her tone in check to not draw any eyes on them. She glanced across the field, watching the other students either ignore or pay close attention to their teacher's explanations.

"What'd I do?" Sakura asked, thoroughly confused.

Rolling her eyes, Ino instinctively flexed her fist's, gently pounding the ground beneath her. "Sensei, isn't it time we do the exercise's with you?" She asked, ignoring the rosette's questioning gaze.

"That's the ticket, everyone's been looking so dreary, so on your feet and let's get started." Pumping his fists's in the air, he yelled out his excitement.

"Hey Sasuke, let's partner up," shouted Ino, catching the attention of the entire class. "Unless you think you can't keep up." Her eyes dark and focused on the boy across from her who in turn glared at the opposing blonde.

"Fine. Come here then," He retorted. "Unless you think the distance would knock the remaining wind out of you."

Their mutual glare's sparking an uncomfortable aura around the class. The students didn't understand what was happening but they could feel the tension slowly building around them.

"Ino, what the hell?!" Sakura blurted out, still shocked by her friend's outburst.

"Uh, Guy sensei…maybe we should intervene." Tenten laughed uncomfortably, trying to diffuse the situation with no help from their teacher.

"Nonsense," He declared. "This is part of being young, some good old fashion friendly competition."

"Competition, yes. Friendly, no." The brunette answered, switching her gaze back and forth between the dark and light haired rivals.

Ino swiftly walked across, stopping directly in front of Sasuke and his group of trouble making miscreants. "What do you want Yamanaka?" His tone laced with malice.

"Shut up," She started before turning her attention back on their teacher, his eye twitching at the command. "Should we start with laps around the field?"

A collective groan emanated from the body of students, who would have rather rest than be summited to any more torture. "That sounds like a brilliant idea, Miss Yamanaka. Come everyone, thirty laps across the field. Let the power of youth explode." He shouted excitedly, punching combos into the air.

"Wait, no, sensei be reasonable." Tenten tried to reason but to no prevail.

"Aren't you worried you might cough up a lung?" Sasuke mocked.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about me kicking your ass." She mocked back.

Sasuke laughed menacingly, his smile wicked and forced. His clear aggravation showing perfectly through his eyes. "God, you're annoying." He said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Allright everyone, get into position," shouted Guy, his excitement bumbling over. "On your mark…get set…"

"Oh by the way, you look stupid when you run." Ino childishly teased.

"GO!" Guy shouted, eyes wide with anticipation as his students sprinted off. A few dropping like flies the moment they began while his better students kept up in stride.

Ino sprinted quickly after the comment, leaving the boy bewildered before snapping himself out of his daze. "Is that the best you've got Yamanaka!" He shouted towards her, easily minimising the gap between them. Ino's tired and childish laughter resonating across the field had most of the students giggling to themselves. Sakura stood watching, unmoving and uncaring at the situation that unraveled itself in front of her. She never could understand what normally went through the head of that damn blonde.

"Oh the beauty of youth, my young apprentice." Tears of joy spilling freely down his face by now, as Guy sensei watched the scene unfold.

"Oh sensei," Tenten tittered, before turning relatively serious."They're not going to make it to thirty laps. We should really call the nurse."


	6. Rooftop

...

...

Ino huffed out angrily, a pout prominently placed on her face all morning as she stomped around the halls of the expansive school. She took to the stairs, mumbling to herself incoherently. She had spent the better half of the morning being replaced by that fuck boy Uchiha. Be it project or not, all she wanted to do was stray Sakura away from the boy, couldn't she see her affections were misplaced. He was no good, that's all there was to it.

She kept up her climb until her legs carried her to the roof, one of her favourite getaways at school. The view was remarkable, with a clear shot of the ocean spreading out far and wide. She could spend hours gaping at her surroundings in awe. She marvelled at the sight after kicking the door wide open, a tad harsher than she had intended.

"What was that?" A voice spoke astonished from atop the roof, their words falling on deaf ears as the blonde kept her eyes forward.

She sighed audibly, walking up to the metal fencing and leaning her forehead against it, her palm reaching forward to rest against the material.

"Does she not see us?" The voice spoke again, but the blonde was too enticed by the scenery.

The air was cool and delightful, easing her animosity. The ocean, a beautiful sparkling blue. She'd been spying on Sakura the entire morning, watching them talk over assignments, Sakura giggling at his stupid words as they lingered around each other longer than she had hoped. She felt her body shake as she screamed out loud.

"I mean she's shouting into the abyss now." She heard a male voice speak, jumping back in surprise. She was astonished to find that someone else was occupying the roof along side her without her noticing.

"Hello? Is someone there?" asked Ino softly, clutching her fist to her chest.

"She's lying, this can't be real." She heard the voice say further down the rooftop. She'd forgotten how wide the roof expanded. She turned to see a group of male student's settled in a scattered pattern, watching the confused blonde amusingly. She felt her body stiffen at the sight, her eyes widening in shock. She felt heat rise up past her neck to her cheeks, bowing apologetically for her brash intrusion.

"I am so sorry. So, so, so very sorry." She cried out.

One of the boys awed at the sight. "Baaambi. Guy's look at that, it's a Bambi," He continued to coo, clearly amused with the blonde across from them. "Why don't you come here and tell uncle Kisame what has you in such a door busting mood?"

She fidgeted at his words. "It's ok, I only bite a little." He continued, motioning her to come forward.

She looked around sheepishly, rubbing her arm gently before slowly advancing towards the group.

"That's it. You're almost there. Don't be frightened." He spoke lightly, afraid any loud noise's would jostle her away.

"You're scaring her," A redhead spoke. "I mean for the love of God, you're scaring us. She's not an actual deer, talk to her normally."

"Sshh, I know what I'm doing," said Kisame. "I've watched enough Discovery Channel to prepare for a moment like this."

"She isn't…an….animal." The redhead sighed in defeat, earning a couple chuckles from the rest of the group.

"Umm…" Ino started, as she walked up to the group of men. They were all incredibly handsome and they were making it difficult for her to speak momentarily.

"Hi there," He smiled softly at the blonde. "The names Kisame Hoshigaki." Kisame was a large man, towering over the rest of the group even sitting down. With his blue hair spiked up, and his sharp looking teeth sparkling, he reminded Ino of a predator.

She smiled politely in return, bowing respectively in greeting.

"This redheaded tart is Sasori. Try not to tussle with him, he's got a stick shoved up so far his ass, we're afraid we'll never be able to get it out." The comment earning him a slap across the back of the head. She turned her gaze to said redhead, his shoulder length locks covering his face a bit. He was the smallest in stature but came of looking the oldest by attitude alone. He presented himself neatly, his uniform the only one up to code. "That kleptomaniac over there's name is Deidara."

"Klepto? When have I ever stolen anything in my life?" The blonde man named Deidara argued.

"My heart," Kisame answered jokingly before continuing on with the introductions. "That walking disease over there is called a Hidan."

"Hey," The silver haired man yelled. "What'd we say about saying that in front of new meat?" She started with Deidara, his hairstyle reminding Ino so much of herself. She had changed up her style before entering high school, wanting a slight change for the new school year, but it was uncanny how similar they would have looked because of it. His hair was a darker shade and a lot shorter than hers. He was playing with something in his hands, and she didn't have the nerve to ask what. She switched over to Hidan, a sneer on his handsome face, his eyes shining with danger. His white hair was slicked back and Ino had to advert her eyes when she noticed his unbuttoned shirt was fully open, baring his muscular stomach to the world.

"And that guy you almost walked over reaching here, and for some reason hasn't noticed, you should really get that checked, is Itachi."

She glanced down in shock to see one of the boys laying down on the floor with one arm across his face, while the other settled as his pillow. How the hell did she manage to miss him?!

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," She apologised. "Do you people make it a habit of making yourselves unknown to the presence of others?" She was startled and panicked and her first instinct was to blame others where she was at fault.

"Seriously?" Kisame commented, looking around the group for support, Deidara patting him on the back sympathetically.

Chuckling to himself, the boy on the ground teased. "Do you make it a habit of not checking your surroundings when you visit places?"

"Maybe." She squeaked out embarrassingly, rather to quickly for her liking.

Kisame deadpanned. "Ho-, how do we argue with this? I don't…I don't know how to argue with this." questioned Kisame, looking around the group once again, Deidara simply continuing to pat his shoulder.

"Wait," argued Hidan, turning to Kisame angrily. "Why didn't Itachi have a name calling introduction huh?"

"Because he frightens me." Kisame answered honestly, as if it was the most common answer in the world.

It was weird, but she bowed once again in greeting before introducing herself "My name is Ino Yamanaka. It's nice to meet all of you."

"Ino, huh? A cute name for a cute girl." Kisame teased.

Ino blushed. "Thank you."

"So Ino, what's the matta? Who hurt you?"

She blinked in response, confused by his question until it dawned on her why she was on the school roof to begin with. "Oh." She gasped.

"Was it a boy? I know we've only just met but I will kill him." joked Kisame.

"Oh no! God no." She responded quickly, laughing at the idea. She shook her head, tugging at her earlobe.

"Why so quick a no?" The boys in the back whispered to themselves.

"It's about a girl." She replied back.

"Ooooooooh," The boys continued to whisper. "Lesbionic problems."

Ino glared at them, trying to ignore the false accusations coming her way. "I'm trying to stop a friend from indulging in something that's only going to get her hurt." She answered truthfully, sharp eyes still lingering on the boys in the back, Deidara the only one fidgeting under her scrutiny.

"Oh." They replied in unison, Hidan seeming the most disheartened at the information.

"Pain's a part of being human, it's what shows us we're alive," The boy on the ground replied, his face still covered. "There's nothing wrong with indulging in that every once in a while."

Ino stared down at the boy in front of her, her expression darkening. She tapped his side softly with her foot, earning but ignoring the collective mock gasp's coming from the rest of the group. Itachi moved his arm away from his face and glared amusingly at the girl above him. Her eyes widened a bit at recognising the face, his hair finally coming into view. It was the ponytailed upperclassman she'd seen around school.

He grinned at her split second reaction, reaching out his arm to knock her off balance. She squealed falling backwards, slamming down onto the tiled floor, her back stinging on impact. She groaned out, turning her head over to his in shock.

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding," He spoke, his dark eyes resting on her lighter ones. "Now you'll know better."

Ino squinted at his words. Was he trying to teach her a lesson? "Is it not the aim of the wise, not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain."

Itachi smirked at her response. "I was unaware children of this day and age knew the teachings of such great philosophers."

"I dable more with Lao Tzu, but I appreciate the poetry in yours. Khalil Gibran?"

The pair locked eyes with a fierce but playful spark, the boys in the back to afraid to move, as to not disrupt the tension slowly building. A comfortable but odd silence enveloping the group until the sound of a bell rung in the air, signalling the start of class activities. They continued to lay there openly, merely a few inches apart. She could feel his warm breath against her cheek and it was starting to feel hot all over. Itachi chuckled, breaking the overcast that loomed over them. The group sheepishly joining him, amused but to confused to know what else to do.

Itachi sat up, forcing himself up from his comfortable position to stretch out his back muscles. He whistled over the boys, who followed in suit. He picked up his bag but Ino kept still, not sure of what to do next. She followed their retreating backs, each leaving through the roof door. They smirked and laughed and waved themselves out.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Bambi," Kisame smiled, winking at the blonde playfully. "I hope to see you soon."

She smiled at the pet name, her eyes now resting on the last man remaining. "You should let your friends make their own mistakes, that's how people learn not to make them again."

He positioned a strap over his shoulder, leaning to one side. "What if this one's not worth the lesson?" She responded, watching his lip quirk up in a small smile.

"Isn't it up to them to decide that?" He answered back, heading down to rejoin the rest of his friends, leaving her alone to lay with her thoughts. She felt the heat rise up to her cheeks again, her heart beating frantically. Now that they were gone, she squirmed, silently screaming into the palms of her hands. What the hell just happened? Her flustered body reacting to his words. Who the hell were they? Her thought's lingering on, as she closed her eyes, continuously replaying his last words. Was he right?


	7. Lost

...

...

Ino huddled underneath her purple comforter, lightly tracing over the skin of her knee in thought when her father barged into the room, the door flinging towards the wall. He flicked on the light, causing her to squint at the sudden brightness as he rushed to rummage through a stack of books piled up on the floor. His concentration set on finding the exact copy that crossed his mind earlier that day. After the initial shock wore off, Ino sat up abruptly, flailing as she curled her arms around her legs, mortified at her father's sudden intrusion.

"Umm, hello?!" screeched Ino, wanting to regain her previous privacy.

Inoichi glanced over his shoulder to stare at his daughter intently. "Hi."

She shook her head in confusion, obviously not comprehending his actions. "What's up?!" half yelled Ino, clenching her jaw.

He turned away to continue his scavenger hunt, ignoring the tone in her voice. "Nothing. You?" He responded unconcerned and nonchalant.

She gaped, her mouth hanging open. "Daddy, what are you doing in my room?!"

"I'm looking for a book," answered Inoichi. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

Ino narrowed her eyes, her lips forming into a tight thin line. "You couldn't have knocked?"

"You wouldn't have answered," responded Inoichi, turning back to look at his daughter. "You've been locked up in this room all weekend. Honestly, thought ya croaked, was seconds away from calling the morgue."

"Thanks for checking up on me until now then." mocked Ino.

"Eh, you look fine to me," said Inoichi, eyeing her up and down before switching to her desktop as his next destination. "If not paler than usual, but what should I expect when you've been sitting in the dark like some modern day vampire, all broody and melodramatic. I mean say what you will about old school vamps but at least they had charisma."

Ino's eyes casted downwards, a small frown forming her lips. She continued to watch him tear apart her bookshelf, sighing inwardly at the mess she'd have to clean up. Inoichi kept up his torture until he too, sighed in defeat. He glanced backwards to catch her avoid his gaze, tightening the hold on the comforter she was currently using as a cloak. He'd half expected the tiniest of smiles at his earlier statement. She'd secluded herself in her room since coming home friday afternoon. The only odd thing was her adjoined pink haired twin wasn't attached for the evening and her lips had been twisted up as if she'd been sucking on a lemon all day. He didn't want to assume or bud in, as the hormones and thought process of women frightened him. So, he simply let her be. "Kiddo, why don't you get your old man something from the market?"

She whined into her legs, her head finding comfort between them during his tirade. "Why can't you?!"

"What part of old in that sentence did you not understand?"

She chuckled lightly at the joke. He only called himself old when it got him out of doing things. "You're not going to ask what's wrong?"

"You'll tell me when you're ready." answered Inoichi, scratching at his chin.

"What if I don't come back? What if I decide to runaway?"

"Well, I'll be here if you do and if you don't, I'll just hunt you down like a dog."

She half smiled, shaking off her bed spread to walk into her father's embrace. "It's not like I'd have anywhere to go."

"I know, that's what makes hunting you down so much more fun. No one's going to question a single father's inhumane and undermined tactics to get his daughter back." retorted Inoichi, a wicked smile gracing his face. He pecked his daughter on the head and ushered her out the room, quickly writing a small list for her to accomplish for the night.

As she slipped on her shoes, she stood in the frame of the door, watching him sharply. She folded the list into her pant pocket along with the money she had received. "Inhumane and undermined?" questioned Ino, her mouth twisting to the side.

He eyed her with the same intensity, folding his hands behind his back and smiling. "Just don't think about it." said Inoichi, shooing her away. He'd hope the walk could clear her head and do chores at the same time. He really needed a chocolate bar.

Ino strolled down the dimly lit road, the street lights flickering excessively, attracting a good amount of moths around it. The sky was partially cloudy, darkening the land even further at times. "This seems so dangerous. I know we live in a good neighbourhood but this still feels sketchy." said Ino, particularly to herself, her eyes darting to every and any sound coming near by.

She choose a store a little ways from home to reflect on her current situation. Her room was stifling and she really needed the fresh air. She kept walking without any destination in mind, taking her time to think. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts, her feet on autopilot had taken her to unrecognisable territory. She hadn't notice where she was going and it was to dark to even tell where she stopped.

"Crap." groaned Ino, kicking at the dirt. She slowly began to panic, the sounds emanating from the dark worsening her dilemma. She jumped back in fright at the sound of a rabbit hoping into the bushes, rusting the leaves. The sounds of crickets echoing in her eardrums. She couldn't stop her brain from freaking out to even think of a solution.

"Lost?" She heard a voice from behind her speak.

She screamed, waving her grocery bags in front of her frantically. Leaning back from the attack, the voice chuckled. "Calm down."

After a few seconds, she halted all movement, leaning forward to get a better look. "Itachi senpai?" questioned Ino, shocked to see him of all people here.

"Kohai." He greeted teasingly, holding a soda can in one hand.

She blushed at the title. "What are you doing here?"

"I live around here," answered Itachi. "I was just passing by when I saw you flipping out."

Her blush turning a greater shade of red. "I was not flipping out!"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know what else to call those movement's you were making."

She gasped at his accusations. "It's dark, and frightening, and there's random sounds everywhere and it's freaking me out and I don't know what to do." She blurted out all at once, pouting.

He wanted to laugh at her exasperated expression but kept it railed in. "You're cute." smiled Itachi, shifting his body weight to one side, staring at her in amusement.

"What?" She blinked.

"C'mon, let me walk you home before you get attacked by falling leaves, or worse, a rusty can blowing through."

She pouted once again. "Ha."

"Where do you live?" asked Itachi, downing the contents of his drink and throwing it in an open trashcan.

"A few blocks from the station," answered Ino nervously. "But I'm not in a hurry to get back."

"Oh. Then we should head this way." said Itachi, pointing her down a narrow dimly lit path.

She gulped and he snickered. "You'll be fine."

They strolled down the paved pathway in silence. Ino fidgeting at the close proximity. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him, her own body flushed. He made her uncomfortable, though she couldn't tell in what way. She sneaked a glance at him, his eyes set on the path ahead, his hands comfortably resting in the pockets of his jacket. His hair was in a loose ponytail, while escaped strands framed his face. He was a good few inches taller than her, easily towering over her lithe form. She watched his muscles flex from under his clothing at his movements, simply just walking would have any woman drooling from the sight. His skin was lightly tanned, probably due to any outdoor activities he was involved with.

She groaned inwardly. She was becoming even more flustered. He was distracting, and it was making her fidgety. She'd never been around guys his type, so mature and masculine, so painstakingly handsome. The boys she knew were childish and immature. A trait that made them fun but unreliable. But he, he seemed like another species all together. He exuded dominance, a confidence she'd never seen on any one before. She clenched the bottom of her top, trying to will any thoughts of this stranger away.

"How's your friend?" He asked after an extended period of silence.

She blinked up owlishly, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "The one you're trying to keep…safe?" He continued.

"Oh," answered Ino, glad to be distracted from thoughts of him but saddened that the topic was one that had her in such a fowl mood lately. "She's…fine..."

"Was that a question or a statement?" He retorted.

Ino sighed. "We haven't talked much since that morning," Ino went on. "It's the longest we've gone without really talking to one another."

"This is the longest you've both been apart," asked a puzzled Itachi. "Wow."

"Is that weird?"

"I wouldn't know," He snickered. "I go weeks to even months without talking to people sometimes."

She gaped at his confession. "That is a long time, senpai."

He shrugged at her comment, the pair still walking through the tunnelled alleyway. Silence creeped back between the couple, both comfortably satisfied. As they reached closer to their destination, Ino felt her heart twinge in discomfort. She clenched her fist's tightly, her fingernails piercing her palms. She darted her eyes around the closing space feeling her chest tighten up. She stopped in her tracks behind Itachi, who kept up his pace.

"I feel alone." whispered Ino, catching the attention of the upperclassman, who'd barely heard her words if not for the wind dying down. Itachi stopped, turning to her direction, staying perfectly still. He watched her with expressionless eyes. She felt tears prick at the corner of hers. "I feel lost sometimes." She didn't know what compelled her to even whisper the words out load. Maybe she was just tired of holding them in?

"It's just one person." He spoke from a distance, leaning against the wall.

"Maybe," answered Ino. "But she's been my everything when I've felt like I had nothing."

"Hm?"

"It's been less than a few days, but the sting of not having her to talk to is immeasurable," choked Ino, feeling desperate and embarrassed by her actions. "I don't think I even know what I'm talking about. This is so stupid." She laughed forcefully to herself, her bangs covering her glassy eyes.

"You're panicking." said Itachi.

"And for what, some guy? Because she's getting close to some stupid guy, because of some stupid project," she continued, her words mingled with anger and hurt. "Because I'm always worth leaving behind."

He pushed himself off the wall by then, slowly walking up to the blonde. Unsure of what to say, he gently pat the top of her head to comfort her, which earned him a slight jolt from the blonde. "Complications are a hassle, but there are times when fear is good. It keeps a watchful place at the heart's controls."

She hadn't pegged him as the literacy type, even after their rooftop showdown. Her eyes sparkled as the tears flowed down freely, Itachi's hand still patting her head softly.

"You have such a way with words." jested Ino, wiping the tear stains away.

"I borrow them from the great minds scattered around time." shrugged Itachi, placing the hand that was once on her head to the small of her back, edging her forward. They walked a small distance, stopping near a junction. She smiled in thanks, gesturing to him which path lead to her home.

"Thank you for walking me home, senpai." said Ino, to afraid to look him in the eyes.

"Hm."

As she began to walk away, Itachi grabbed her by the upper arm, pulling her closer to his body as he whispered in her ear. "You should learn to relax a little." His hot breathe sending shivers down her spine. She felt her body spasm at his words. She stuttered in response, bowing before sprinting down the pathway, his voice still reaching her.

"Talk to her," His eyes dark and serious, his lips in a tight line as he continued to watch her. "If she is as important to you as you say she is, then she deserves to know what you're really fighting about."

She glanced back one last time before reaching to the steps of her home, stopping at the door to catch her breathe, her eyes still on him. She watched his form retreat into the darkness, overwhelmed by her own slip of the tongue. She glanced upwards when soft lighting hit her face. "Took you long enough," said Inoichi, half concerned, half impatient, but all teasing. "Had a nice walk?"


	8. A Misconception Amidst the Park Benches

...

...

"Of all the places, we had to meet here." groaned an exasperated blonde, walking through the sunlit park. Children were running amuck, dressed in dirt and spread throughout the vicinity like a disease. Ino sighed, stopping in the middle of the tracks to pump herself up. She was beginning to feel energised when a group of kids crashed into the back of her legs, almost sending her face first into the ground. Thanking the heavens for good reflexes, she turned abruptly to her attackers. All three kids ass planted on the grass.

"Watch where you're going lady!" The apparent leader of said group chastised.

Ino felt her blood boil for a second before forcing any rage down inside. "Excuse me?" The sass evident in her tone.

"You heard me!" He bellowed, as his companions pulled at each of his arms to hold him back.

Ino's quirked eyebrow now twitching. "Don't hold him back on my account." A sinister smile spread on her face as she inched towards the young boy.

"Do you know who I am," The boy continued. "I'm from one of the wealthiest families in Japan." He proclaimed rather proudly if not stupidly.

"And yet no amount of money in the world will help you from getting dragged down to the deepest parts of hell where you'll be dissembled for all eternity!"

All three children froze, the two in the back shaking as they held on to their fearless but ignorant leader. "Damn lady. What the shit?"

"Language!"

"Yeah but, the hell?"

Ino stood tall now, towering over the still floor planted children. "What?" asked Ino with attitude, her hands in the pockets of her jacket. An annoyed expression on her face.

"I like you lady," spoke the boy, picking himself and his friends up, dusting off any remaining dirt. "We'll see you around. The name's Konohamaru by the way." Winking at Ino before shooting of with his group to some unknown part of the park.

Ino stood floored. "Friggin kids."

"Ino!" She heard someone call, turning to see Sakura waving at her from a bench with two cups of bubble tea beside her. Jogging up to the pinkette, she slumped into the seat.

"What was that?" laughed Sakura, the whole incident unfolding a few feet away from her.

"I'm pretty sure I just ran into the lost boys from Peter Pan."

Sakura continued to laugh, handing one of the cold drinks to the blonde, who took it graciously. "So what was so urgent we had to meet up this morning?"

At that, the blonde turned passive. Turning to her long time best friend, she observed her expression. "You're not mad, are you?"

"At what?"

"At the fact that I've been ignoring you this past week."

Sakura turned confused at that piece of information. "You were ignoring me?"

"We were ignoring each other."

Sakura shook her head abruptly. "No! I thought we were busing with school work and upcoming projects."

"We are…and we're ignoring each other."

"No, no, no. I've been cramped inside a library for the past week trying to patch up this project I have with Sasuke and Naruto."

Ino blinked. "So you're on first name bases with these boys?"

It was Sakura's turn to blink, moving her gaze from her companion to in front of her, no longer speaking.

"So you are mad?"

"Ino?!" yelled Sakura, slapping her hand against Ino's, who tried desperately not to spill her tea.

"Whaaaat? What? It was a simple question."

"Are we fighting or something?" The pinkette asked bewildered.

"Apparently not," said Ino. "I thought you were ignoring me. I mean you even spent your lunches with them behind the old oak tree."

"Were you spying on us?"

"….no. That's crazy, no. Who would do that?" answered Ino, sipping at her drink.

Sakura had turned directly in front of the blonde now, and incredulous expression plastered on her features. Sucking at her teeth, she wagged her finger at Ino, tapping on the blonde's face lightly. "Ino."

"I'm joking. This…was all an elaborate joke. Ha."

But Sakura wasn't convinced. She'd barely opened her mouth to speak again when the blonde jumped up from her seat. Lifting her arms up high into the air, stretching her tight muscles. The pinkette could only watch as her friend tugged at her hand and pulled her forward. "Lets go get some ice cream." beamed Ino, skipping towards a cart filled with delicious frozen treats. Sakura eyed her suspiciously but didn't argue or pry. She walked behind her, writing down a mental note on Ino's behaviour. If the blonde didn't feel like telling her what was wrong, she wouldn't force it, not until she had to.

Authors Note:

I know it seems like Sakura's just brushing this under the rug but trust me she's not. She doesn't confront situations like these right away because she knows Ino. It's either something or it's nothing and Sakura's going to observe and calculate to see which one it is.

Also, thanks for the sweet reviews guys! They mean a lot! I hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I do.


	9. The Labyrinth of Libraries

...

...

Ino wanted to sulk. She wanted to kick and scream at anyone who would listen, this form of imprisonment slowly eating away at her psyche. She couldn't go on like this much longer.

"Sakura, please," pleaded the blonde. "I don't think I'm going to make it."

A heavy sigh was her main response. "Dramatic much?" Sakura glanced from across her to witness the girl mock crying into her books.

Sniffling away her fake tears, Ino inspected her friend warily. "I…I need you to do something for me."

"What?" snapped the pinkette, one eyebrow up in question.

"Tell my father…that...the mochi in the fridge, doesn't belong to him so keep his grubby hands off my stuff." said Ino, plopping her head down on the table, her eyes closed and her tongue sticking out. All she needed was the x's over her eyelids and she'd be perfect.

Sakura squinted at the sight of her, unamused by her childish antics. It was starting to drive her up the wall, so she kept up her staring long enough to squirm Ino into huffy laughter before returning her attention back to her book.

"You, my friend, are a cruel mistress," said Ino, popping an eye open to watch her friend's attempt at ignorance. "You're just going to let me waste away like this?"

Sakura craned her neck to the side, her signature glare on full display. "You, of all people, are bored in here? In the most breathtaking library I have ever seen in my entire life, surrounded by the greatest selection of books ever written? This place ate your little book collection to cleanse it's pallet for better things, you freaky little book worm. You'd think you'd be in heaven."

"You'd think, to bad we're here to do math," Ino replied in frustration. "Cause when I think of complicated mathematical equations, I think of finding a place filled with more interesting things to read to do it in."

"It has tables Ino."

"So does our class room you psychopath!"

Glancing up from behind her book, Sakura glared at the blonde one last time before making an executive decision to ignore her for the rest of their free period. "Then rummage around, fail this test, see if I care."

Ino's eyes widened at the declaration, sparkling with reserved joy. "Freedom? Ino's a free elf? Master, is letting Ino free?"

Sakura clicked her tongue, smacking Ino's upper arm softly, bringing unwanted attention to their group.

"Ah, but not before abusing me one last time." pouted the blonde, earning a few laughs from surrounding students.

"Ino, fly away, but be warned that I will find you at your house tonight and we will be studying until dawn."

Ino blinked, tugging at her earlobe. "What happened to see if I care, this…this doesn't seem like a fair trade."

"Fly away bird." motioned Sakura with her hand, shooing the girl away from their table.

Ino groaned, picking up her knapsack and throwing it over her shoulder. She was a little hesitant to leave, especially after being threatened with late night studying. She sighed as her group continued on without her, not even batting an eye at her departure. She tucked away into one of the nearest aisles, large, dark bookshelves towering over her as they touched the second floor ceiling, closing her in. The lanes winded out sporadically, designed to network through shelvings of publications according to index, units interlacing with one another. An educational maze. It was difficult to grasp at first, getting lost a risk when searching for a piece of literature but in the end she did found the exploration relaxing.

She inhaled slowly, the smell of old, dusty and new, pressed books wafting in the air. They kept it clean and tidy but the pages would always hold their age, yellowing stains forming in the corners. She read off the names the names of authors and titles in her head, enthralled in the stories at her disposal. This had to be one of the most expansive libraries in the district, upholding the legacies of notorious authors all around the globe. But, if she had to be truthful, they couldn't compare to Jiraiya's. He may have been the greatest perverted hermit to ever creep, but she couldn't deny he held one of the most elusive selection of literature to date.

She'd always admired his bold and fearless determination to travel, collecting a vast range of artwork and unpublished manuscripts from brilliant but unknown artist's. Their handwritten work scattered all around his whimsical shop, a few of his own pieces mixed in between. A highly capable and renowned writer himself. A respectable oddball that believed in the power of words.

She made a mental note to visit is studio for a few new pieces, her fingertip dancing across leathery spines. She stopped when she recognised a name of a recent author she'd come into contact with during a book outing one morning.

Picking up the object, she inspected the front cover, reading over the title. Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse by Otsuichi.

A collection of horror themed short stories. It tingled at her spine.

Her curiosity now bubbled, she quietly read through the first few paragraphs. It didn't take long before the words transported her consciousness to another dimension. So immersed in the storytelling, she hadn't noticed the figure a few feet away from her, the lower half of their face covered as they stared at her openly.

"Hey little girl—," the voice started then stopped immediately, their face twisting into one of disgust. "No no no, that was a creepy way to start a conversation."

Ino didn't seemed fazed however, mesmerised by the pages. It allowed her to completely ignore the presence next to her.

"The hell is wrong with this girl," they voiced once again. "Who gets this caught up in something they can't hear someone a few feet away from them?"

When a gasp escaped her lips, the voice couldn't help but mirror the action. She was flipping through the pages so rapidly, finding it both addicting and horrifying. She was half way through the first story when she felt warm puffs of air hitting the back of her neck, lips creeping up to her ear.

"Boo." whispered the voice.

The intrusion of her personal space and the sudden appearance of an unknown character had her shrieking. Her abrupt turn to face her assailant sent her slamming into the rigid book shelve, knocking a few books off as she slid to the ground, whimpering breathlessly to herself.

Gazing at the face above her, Ino quivered, her voice matching the emotions in her eyes. "Kisame senpai?"

"Hi." said the make, smiling sheepishly. His tone almost childish and playful.

"But why?"

"I feel like there's no normal way to greet you."

With an awkward smile she nodded her head in understanding, still clearly jostled from the scare. "What are you, uh, doing here?" Her voice barely above a whisper, her hands reaching across the floor to pick up the fallen books.

"Same ole reason we always tend to find ourselves in a library." commented Kisame, signalling her to follow him as he cornered out of sight. Trying to regain her wits about her, she quickly arranged the book back in order before scurrying on after him. It took her breath away just to match his pace as she swerved through the corridors, amazed at how far he'd gotten in just mere seconds. It took her a few twists and turns to find him, his long strides slowing as he spiralled around.

"I think we're lost."

She laughed, patting her fly away's down and fixing her ponytail into place when she remembered what he previously stated. "Wait, what did you mean by we?"

Rounding another bend, she had to brace herself from impacting with a still, firm frame. "He means us, sweetheart."

Ino gaped, her mouth the shape of an o. "Hidan senpai?"

"Aw," cooed Kisame, walking ahead of her. "You remembered the walking human disease."

"Hey Hoshigaki, stop spreading that shit around," yelled Hidan, his eyes narrowing into slits at the taller male. "You got my girls thinking I'm fooling around on them."

"Says the actual cheat." Deidara snickered, his hands moulding out a piece of clay. He didn't bother looking up, fully aware of the heated gaze directed his way by the white haired male.

"I don't need them knowing that."

"You're the fucking worst."

"I seriously think we're lost."

Hiddan huffed, truly annoyed now. "Oh, cause you're so fucking great with the ladies." Clearly no one was taking Kisame on.

The blonde male snorted, shaking his head in disagreement. "At least I don't go around making them feel like they're the only ones for me to turn around and sleep with their friends behind their backs," Deidara was fired up, his nostril flaring. "I mean if you're going to be an asshole to every girl you meet, at least have the decency to own up to your shit. It's not fooling anyone but the morons you find to hook up with."

Lacking the initiative to care, Kisame ignored them, sighing deeply. They were starting to give him a migraine, adding to his frustrations. Ino on the other hand seemed rather amused at the interactions. "Are they always like this?"

"Every. God. Damn. Day," He replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think they secretly love each other."

The thought brought a wondrous image of them embracing in her mind, confessing their feelings as their lips inched closer. She squealed, shaking the images away. This wasn't the time or the place for her fantasies. The action brought out a small smile from the huge upperclassman. He found the blonde interesting if not odd to say the least. He didn't know much about her, the last time he'd talk to her was during that door busting morning on the rooftop.

He wasn't sure what she was all about, but he'd heard enough to take an instant liking. He had to admit she was far sweeter and naive than any other girl that ever circled through their group of friends. He was use to older, more promiscuous women. They all were. The females in their classes were confident and brilliant. They were refined and dignified. He suppose that came with the pride of a famous family name and money.

Ino was so, innocent. But then again he didn't have enough information to make that judgement. She made him curious and he could only wonder what it did to him. He always did know how to pick them.

A creeping tint of crimson adorned her face when she noticed his eyes were on her the entire time. "What?" She chocked out, cupping her heated cheeks to hide them from him. She tried to rub the colour away but only enhanced a shade darker. Her skin now pulsing at the rawness. It made Kisame want to cry. She was just too adorable for her own good.

"You get rattled easily, don't you," He questioned more to himself, his lips tugging into another small, ponderous smile. "I can't even blame the guy."

That piqued her interest, her head titling to the side, her brows furrowed. "What do you mean, blame what guy?"

Kisame's eyes widened, cursing at himself mentally at the slip of his tongue. His sharp teeth now on full display. "You know for getting lost."

"What?"

He had to physically stop himself from making a comment about her eyes, biting his tongue harshly. In his current circumstance, she wouldn't have understood either way. "Like us because we're lost."

"Fuck you, I ain't lost just temporarily misplaced."

"Because that's somehow not the same thing?"

"If we keeping going this way and turn to our left we'll make it to the main room." piped in Ino, trying to help.

"I don't need your directions woman," Hidan commented as he pulled Deidara closer to him, walking ahead of them all. "Was it left or right?"

"You're a real asshole, she said left."

Ino really didn't know what to think about them, they were absolutely ridiculous and she loved it. For a group of older gentleman, they were as childish as one could be. "They're nice."

"They're alright." said Kisame, agreeing with her in his own way but still on the defence about such a complement.

They continued walking straight until they were stopped at an intersection, Ino diligently waiting for them to decide which way to go until she whispered towards them. "Left."

"I knew that." snarled Hidan, hands stuffed in his front pant pockets. His lips a tight line. He clearly didn't like being told what to do or being helped. Honestly, they were going to make her bust a stitch at all the laughing she'd done. It was hilarious to see such a prideful man being fed directions he didn't want but was going to use either way. Once they turned the corner, it didn't take long before they made it to main hall, a collective sigh of relief escaping each of their lips. It made her wonder how long they trapped inside.

"Did you come here for research?" Ino asked, a little curious to know what they were doing or looking for.

"Oh shit." Her question reminding Deidara of something important.

"Whaaaaaat?!" Hidan who was nowhere close to being in a mood that could tolerate bad news.

"I forgot the books."

"I'll fucking kill you!" shouted Hidan, jumping over a chair to manhandle the male blonde, who quickly ducked out of the way.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Kisame turned to the only blonde he actually felt like talking to. "Hi."

She laughed once again, wrapping her arms around her midsection. "What's it for?"

"Literature," He groaned out, crossing his own arms across his chest. "We need it for an essay and Itachi refuses to help us if we don't read all the material before hand. Which, is fair I guess."

"He knows this stuff?"

"Mhmm, it's his major."

He noticed the interest in her eyes and snorted at the expression. Too cute.

Before he could explain further, he stopped at the sound of her name being called. Her reluctance at looking for who the voice belonged to was absolutely precious. She turned to the direction that it came from, noticing Sakura walking out the door to leave.

"Cruel misstress of the night." grounded Ino, readjusting the strap of her bag before rushing off to catch up with her friends, quickly saying her own goodbyes to the group of men. Her rushed steps slowing momentarily to bow apologetically to the head librarian that hushed everyone from behind the desk.

He wasn't sure what to do at her sudden departure, his limp hand waving half heartily but he smiled none the less. "I think she'd make a fun addition to the dynamic."

"I think you shutting the fuck up would make a fun addition to our dynamic." teased Hidan, earning a chuckle from his blonde rival.

Kisame simply sighed, shaking his head in disapproval as he moved closer to his white haired companion. "I'm a dolphin in a sea of sharks."

"I think it's the other way around buddy." wheezed Hidan inside Kisame's tight choke hold, the gigantic male keeping Deidara's face planted to the ground with his foot, both men loosing oxygen simultaneously. Fear trickling down their spines at the malicious grin plastered on their superiors face.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

Sigh, I don't know how I feel about this one. I like some parts but on the whole, I'm not particularly feeling it.

I apologize for any mistakes or anything, I've been working on this chapter all morning. Since I've woken up to publishing it. I like it a lot better now than I did yesterday after changing a few things but it's still kinda blah for me. I might edit it later. I don't know. I might just leave as is.

I might seriously have to edit this later.


	10. Shenanigans

...

...

Sakura Haruno kept a close eye on her companion, unease settling at the base of her stomach as she sat in the dining room area, alone. The blonde scurrying through a drawer in the living room giggling to herself.

"Um, Ino?"

"Wait wait, I'm almost done."

The rosette sighed audibly, resting her cheek against the palm of her hand, slumping over the table. She was waiting patiently for whatever scheme was being planned by the giddy female to unfold.

"Ok, I found them," exclaimed the blonde, rushing back into the kitchen with a huge grin on her face and a pair of non prescription glasses. "How do I look?"

Sakura's eyebrow shot up, confusion settling on her features. "I don't understand why you had to dig around for almost twenty minutes just to find a pair of fake eyeglasses."

"They're a necessity."

"For what," questioned Sakura, her hand slipping from her face to hang loosely in the air. "We were talking about what to eat when you decided spaghetti, which, by the way, I'm certain neither one of us wants when you left me to go on this scavenger hunt for inessential accessories. Did you at least find an apron to go with those?"

Ino pouted, hands on her hips as she ignored the pinkette's negative attitude. "It'll be fine. It's easy."

"Have you even made it before," doubted the pink haired beauty. "I know your dad does most of the cooking."

"My father does most of the calling for take out thank you very much. I cook," exclaimed the blonde proudly. "Unlike you who has to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner or else you'd starve to death."

Sakura huffed, her cheeks puffed with air at Ino's accusing tone and finger. "I'm learning."

"My ass you're learning," laughed Ino, walking past the counter. "Who's teaching you?"

"Your dad."

Ino gasped at the monotone but teasing statement, her hand flying to her chest in mock hurt. "You're cruel to even joke, like he'd have the time." pouted the blonde, turning around to watch the water in the pot begin to boil under the glass lid.

"But seriously, couldn't we just go out to eat, it'd be so much easier." whined Sakura, her stomach growly impatiently. She was soothing it with circular motions when it rumbled loudly, clearly upset with her and her sad attempts to appease it. The hunger pains uncontrollable at this point. She really would have preferred eating out. She couldn't function like this.

"Stop worrying and come help me out then."

Sakura fussed pathetically; wiggling in her seat like a two year old have a tantrum. She was not up for removing herself from her current comfortable and unburdened spot. "What do I have to do?"

"Can you get the pasta from the pantry?" asked Ino, pointing in the direction where Sakura needed to look.

"Are you sure this is an easy recipe?"

Ino rolled her eyes, continuing to glance at the pot on the stove. "It's quick and easy. No muss, no fuss."

Sakura turned slightly to watch the blonde apprehensively before pivoting back around to look for the item she was tasked with finding. The large wooden storeroom opened to a display of various flours and oils, to canned food and bottled drinks. She plucked the packet of pasta from the highest shelf, using the surface to balance herself on her toes. The moment she landed back square on her heels she jumped at the sound of screaming, jerking the box of pasta across the room.

She turned immediately, fear stricken and panicked. "Oh my god Ino, what happened?!"

"My eyes," proclaimed the blonde as she whirled to meet her friend face to face. "I can't see!"

Sakura's expression turned from that of absolute terror to a narrowing frustration when she regarded Ino dramatically lean against the countertop, her spectacles fogged up from the steam. A huge grin was plastered on the blonde's face as she tried to hold back her whimpering laughter. Sakura probed the inside of her cheek with her tongue to keep from cursing outright. She should have known the blonde was up to no good. She should have listened to her gut. After a few seconds of tensed silence, Ino gazed at her from over the rim of her glasses, deciding to wipe them down clean with her t-shirt. Her mouth now pursed like a fish as she apprehensively walked forward to pick up the package of spaghetti that slid near her feet.

"You planed this all day, didn't you," asked Sakura, her eye twitching. "You did all of this, just to do that."

With Ino's lips tugging wider by the second, she bobbed her head up and down in agreement. "You no like, I was think—, Sakura wait, don't leave. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Shooting upright from her crouched position on the floor, Ino quickly turned off the fire and rushed towards the door, ripping her jacket of the rack before locking the door behind her. "I'll bye you a pizza," yelled Ino, trying to catch up to her hopefully forgiving longtime best friend. "I won't do it again, Saaaaakuraaaaa."

* * *

 _ **Authors Note**_ :

So cute. So simple. Oh Ino. You may need some lessons from a professional. A rambunctious, and eager, blonde professional.

Sakura gets super cranky and childish when she'd hungry. It's kind of adorable. I'll have to show more of that sometime.


End file.
